Dolby has developed new system for speech transmission during online games, and is calling it Dolby Axon.

Dolby Axon enables developers to deliver a realistic voice experience that matches the game environment. Voices get louder as gamers approach one another, and fainter with distance. Like in life, voices are obstructed by objects in the game or virtual environment. Dolby Axon’s integrated voice gives creative control and provides unique interactive features that expand game play possibilities.

This makes the system especially interesting for “massively multiplayer online role-playing games” (MMORPGs). No special hardware is required. Players need only an ordinary microphone or headset, and the audio can be output through a loudspeaker system having up to 7.1 channels, or headphones that simulate surround sound using Dolby Headphone.